Why Every Dog Owner Needs to Get Pet Insurance

 

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When you bring a dog into your life, it's not just a pet that you're adding to your family—it's a heartbeating, tail-wagging bundle of joy. And just like any loved one, ensuring they have the best care is essential. Seriously, you have insurance, right? If you have kids, they also have insurance, right? Well, your dog needs this, too; in fact, no matter what type of pet you have, they all need this. So, with that all said, how can pet insurance be beneficial? 

Well, the last thing you want to deal with is some major disaster, such as your dog getting a bite, a freak accident, or something worse. At the end of the day, insurance is meant to help you, the owner. But still, why get pet insurance? It’s optional! Well, here’s exactly why!

A Degree of Legal Protection

Alright, just to a small degree, now, in case you have to get a dog bite injury attorney or there’s a case against you, to a small degree, pet insurance can help. So, this isn’t liability insurance in the slightest; liability insurance for your pet is something else. 

But some (not all) pet insurance companies will offer coverage in case a freak accident were to happen, and legally speaking, you need to protect yourself and your dog. Again, it’s going to vary based on the insurance, but depending on which one you have, this can be seen as a positive. 

Financial Buffer for Vet Visits

Let's face it: vet bills can be too much and way too overwhelming, especially when unexpected illnesses or accidents happen. So that’s exactly why pet insurance acts as a financial safety net, covering a significant chunk of medical costs. 

This means you won't have to choose between your wallet and your pet's well-being. Whether it’s routine care or emergency surgery, having insurance in place ensures you’re financially prepared for both the expected and unexpected. Hopefully, it never gets to the point where it’s needed, but in case that happens, you and your dog will be in good hands. 

Encourages Early Veterinary Care

So this one might vary from person to person, but usually, just knowing that you have pet insurance can encourage you to take your dog to the vet at the first sign of trouble. Why wait and worry when you can get a professional opinion and nip potential health issues in the bud? Besides, early detection and treatment often mean a better prognosis for your pet and less invasive treatment, which can be easier on your dog and your budget.

There’s Something for Every Budget

Like all insurance, this one can be pretty expensive, but it can also be affordable. You just need to keep in mind that pet insurance isn’t a one-size-fits-all deal. The beauty of it is in the flexibility. You can choose from a variety of plans to find one that suits your budget and your dog’s needs. So, honestly, at this rate, there’s no excuse for any pet owner. 

Train Your Dog Here

Train your Dogs to Rescue You and Family. 

How? 

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Be sure to check out the book page in the menu above

The Family Disaster Dog books are free on Kindle and audible as my way of helping everyone be prepared with their pets. 

 

About Family Disaster Dogs

Click above to preview the Family Disaster Dogs book

The Family Disaster Dogs books,  website and social media give dog owners a way to learn how-to prepare for disasters with pets by offering online posts and lessons that encourage the training of family dogs to assist in disasters and how-to use a dog to find people who may go missing. 

Visitors worldwide browse over 260 blog posts of dog care and training at familydisasterdogs.com where books, courses and emergency resource lists are available and regularly updated with new content.

Family Disaster Dogs has a huge following of furbaby households and global emergency response teams who frequent the site for information on current natural disaster events, dog training and preparedness for floods, hurricanes, tornados, evacuation and wildfires.

Author, Amber Higgins' work was first published in the 1990's offline newspapers and magazines. She has over thirty years experience in the pet industry and dog breeding. With fifteen years devoted to volunteer K9 Search and Rescue with her Bloodhounds and German Shepherd dogs. The books are available on the Amazon's distributor network in paperback, kindle and audible everywhere. She lives with her wolf and two bloodhounds.

The Books

Family Disaster Dogs

Evacuate with Your Dog's Help (Includes Evacuation Supply List, Pet CPR)

My Puppy Can Find Me children's book

Start Mantrailing Step by Step

A Squirrel Planted an Acorn ( A short story about nature)

Click to visit Amber's author page

Dog Training Tips and Resources 2023

The Evacuate with Your Dog's Help book explains how-to evacuate with pets. How-to make a bug-out (survival) bag for owners and dogs to carry. Every dog of any age or size can help its family evacuate. Be prepared for disasters with your pets. Learn what to expect at disaster shelters and from pet rescue during disasters. Included is a detailed expanded list of survival items for pets and owners with step-by step instructions to train your dog to carry a saddlebag to hold items to evacuate and "bug-out" with. Plus Pet CPR instructions and how-to calm a frightened pet. How-to find a lost pet. USA Evacuation Law for pets. 

Both of the books are free on Kindle and Audible. These books are used as a worldwide emergency preparedness resource from the author. Paperbacks are discounted to help with cost of publication. 

What is a Family Disaster Dog? It is Your Dog trained to Find and Rescue You!

Let me tell you how easy a pet dog of any age, size or breed can be your very own Search and Rescue Dog!

The Family Disaster Dogs book is full of fun and easy lessons that are tailored for the family to learn rescue skills in the comfort of the home during daily activities. Your pet dog is a Family Disaster Dog! 

Any size dog from the little Chihuahua to the Great Dane can help its owner survive..and they find you every day already when they want to play or eat so why not learn what else they can do to help you !

Take a look at my Amazon Author Page to read or hear previews of all my books. Thank you in advance for sharing the books and leaving a review which helps other dog owners find many helpful resources, including mine, in search engines.

 Stay safe out there this spring and summer!

Enjoy your dogs and do something new with them today! 

Thank you for visiting Family Disaster Dogs 

Be sure to look at the Page menu above, there are several pages to see and at the bottom of this post is a time line with over 250 articles for dog owners.

Family Disaster Dogs Author Interview by Rune S Nielsen

 I was interviewed by Danish epic/high fantasy author Rune S Nielsen.

"I was lucky to get an interview with dog rescue expert Amber Higgins, who writes fiction and non-fiction but always about dogs."

-Rune S. Nielsen

Copyright Rune S Nielsen

Read the Interview by clicking here

He has over 60 author interviews on his site above!

Plus awesome AI graphics and book covers he creates.

How To Make Sure Your Dog Remains Fit & Healthy

 Looking after your dog is about much more than showing them love - though that is of course very important too. It’s also a case of making sure that you are doing everything you can to keep them as fit and healthy as possible. This is the kind of thing that might actually be more challenging than you first think, and if you are currently just thinking of getting a dog in the near future, you might want to be aware of some of the following. Let’s take a look at how you can ensure your dog remains healthy throughout their life.

Credit - CCO License

Walk Them Every Day

This is the main headline need that most dogs have. Your dog needs a lot of exercise - quite possibly more than you assume at first - and you need to make sure that you are helping them to get it. This means taking them for a walk once a day. And for some breeds and dogs, that might increase to twice or even thrice a day. You can also try to provide them with plenty of space to run around at home, if possible. If that is not possible, even more walking might be necessary.

Feed Them Regularly

The regularity of feeding is hugely important, just as it is with human beings. See https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-keep-your-dog-healthy/ for more on this. You need to make sure that your dog actually knows when their food is coming each day, because this actually helps them to regulate their metabolism, and that is vital for ensuring their ongoing good health too. So feed your dog regularly, at two or three of the same times each day, so that they are more likely to have a decent regularity in their internal system as well. That is more important than most people give credit for, so make sure not to overlook it.

Credit - CCO License

Provide Them With Plenty Of Nutrients

One of the main things with regard to their food is that it is actually a complete diet. There are a couple of main ways you can make sure of that. One is by ensuring you feed them with so-called complete dog food. This is food which has all the nutrients and minerals a dog needs. The other is to occasionally feed them other vegetables that you know are good for them. If you look at https://www.nextritionpet.com/blogs/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-spinach you will see that spinach is particularly packed with minerals and nutrients your dog needs, for instance.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Finally, a word on providing plenty of fresh water. If you are not doing this, it doesn’t really matter what else you are doing. Hydration is even more important to dogs than it is to us, because they lose a lot through panting. You should always provide it as much as possible, and you should make sure they especially have a lot of cool, fresh water in hot weather, or after exercising. As long as you do that, it is going to make a huge difference to how healthy and fit they are.

4 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Dog Breed

 4 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Dog Breed 

Bringing a pet into your life requires more planning than many people think. It doesn't matter whether you need a pet for companionship or specialized tasks; you want to make sure you choose a suitable breed for your environment and lifestyle. It is important to prepare your home before bringing in your new friend, and choosing the right breed is vital for building a harmonious relationship with fewer risks of trouble in the future. Here are four factors to help you find the right dog breed. 

1. Size matters 

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When choosing a dog breed, the size of your living area is one of the most important elements to consider. Do you live in a house or a modest apartment? Do you have enough room for a huge dog, or will your living space only be big enough for a tiny dog? Depending on the breed, it is convenient to have a backyard where your dog can go outside and relieve themselves. Additionally, large breeds such as the Great Danes have other physical concerns. Smaller dogs such as the Chihuahuas may be more susceptible to mishaps or cooler temperatures than larger breeds. 

2. Breed 

Different breeds have unique characteristics. According to the American Kennel Club, seven dog breed groups are herding, hound, working, sporting, non-sporting, terrier, and toy. Every breed has its traits, so it is crucial to determine if they are compatible with yours. For instance, a hypoallergenic dog breed can be a good fit if you are allergic to animal fur. However, you want to ensure their characteristics match the ones you are looking for. Usually, mixed-breed dogs, like an Australian Cobberdog, are supposed to be better versions of their parents due to the combination of desirable characteristics. However, there's no assurance they will have all of the desirable characteristics and no negative ones. You will have to learn what an Australian Cobberdog is and how ideal it can be for you if you are looking for an ideal breed.

3. Costs 

Regardless of size, temperament, or breed, every dog needs various supplies. This may include bedding, food and water bowls, periodic vaccination, crates for traveling, and other grooming supplies. Other potential costs include professional grooming, boarding fees, and licenses. While large breeds may require more feeding expenses, particular breeds may need extensive medical attention, so you want to factor in the financial commitments that come with picking a particular breed before deciding.

 

4. Present lifestyle 

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Taking care of a dog is similar to taking care of a child, particularly if you have a puppy. Some breeds, regardless of age, require time to play and exercise to manage any destructive behaviors. Meanwhile, your occupation may be keeping you away from home for long periods. How much time you spend with your dog is essential for pet care. However, this shouldn't be a biggie if you have other people who can care for your dog in your absence. You must ensure these caretakers are responsible enough for the job. 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to finding a new dog. What matters is that you find the correct dog for you. Whether you want to adopt or buy a dog from a breeder, you should look for a breed that fits your lifestyle and living arrangements.

Season's Greetings from Family Disaster Dogs 2021

 Card created on Adobe Spark..all rights reserved

A Little History of Family Disaster Dogs Training Your Dog to Rescue You

Training Your Dog to Rescue You

 A Little History of Family Disaster Dogs 

10 Year Anniversary

I started this site ten years ago when I began writing the first Family Disaster Dogs book on the night of the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami. As I sat under evacuation orders myself on the Oregon coast, I started to write these lessons with my bloodhound Daisy because it dawned on me that in major disasters and sometimes missing person cases, we have to take care of ourselves and loved ones until help arrives which can take days or weeks depending on the situation. 

As I watched the news I realized i wanted to get these valuable dog training lessons out to the public sooner than the time it takes to publish a book so I started this blog which grew into a website as I added more than 220 pages here at Family Disaster Dogs.

I kept the Family Disaster Dogs book, blog and lessons simple so the public would not feel overwhelmed having to know or learn everything Search and Rescue members must learn. Families do not have to learn as much because they are not going out to rescue others, they are learning from me and my books books how to rescue themselves and loved ones with a dog's help. 

As with most things in life, this site has grown to cover more than the Family Disaster Dogs book and lessons ideas I had ten years ago. The children's book teaches children and parents how to use the dog to find mom, dad and the child and the Evacuate with Your Dog's Help book gives everyone a long list of bug-out bag supplies, information on training a dog to help evacuate and what to expect if you have to evacuate. 

In the last ten years we have reached people all over the world and given out many Family Disaster Dog certificates for those who contact us and tell us their journey with us. Dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds are helping their families prepare for the worst.

Over the years, this all led to the newest book, Start Mantrailing, which takes me back to the beginning of my own emergency preparedness training and gives you the opportunity to learn even more about how to train a dog to find a missing person and how to advance into actual Search and Rescue work or the new sport of Mantrailing. 

Yes, now Mantrailing is gaining in popularity as a Sport too. When I started this site ten years ago Mantrailing was seldom heard of outside of K9SAR or Law Enforcement. Dog sport enthusiast  focused on Tracking events not Mantrailing which was exclusively a bloodhound discipline and much different than tracking in many ways. Now all dogs are learning what bloodhounds like my Daisy naturally do.

Mantrailing is becoming more and more common in the public dog world and on social media. With this growth I will be sharing more and more ways to train a dog to find people as well as how to prepare for disasters.

With covid19 hopefully behind us in the near future, next year 2022??? I hope to train more of you and your dogs in this useful natural nose work a dog can do to help us survive as dogs have done for thousands of years. 

Sign up for the newsletters in the pop up window, (refresh this page to have the window pop up again)

Check out the newest book here on my author page and don't forget a book is a perfect gift for the holidays. My books are Free on Kindle so everyone can read them. If you would like a signed copy let me know by emailing me or contact me on Facebook at the Family Disaster Dog page. 

Be sure to like, share and follow me on social media to help find missing persons and prepare for what I hope none of us ever have to endure..a disaster or a missing loved one.

I'm not only an author

Family Disaster Dogs is not only a book and site,, its a passion I share with you the knowledge I have gained.

a few of my dogs

I'm not one to brag, I'm more a teacher who wants readers to rest assured that this site is based on my own actual experience and not a copy of something off the internet lol ...experience I do have... 

I've been dedicated to dogs my whole life, and teaching people how to live happily with their pets since my first job in a large show and boarding kennel as a teenager. I went on to be a professional dog trainer and also a professional all breed pet and show groomer. I've owned award winning pet spas and worked with the best in the dog world. I spent over ten years volunteering in search and rescue. 15 years breeding working Bloodhounds, 30 years of German Shepherds and 10 years of rescuing as well as breeding registered Pit Bulls. I was rescuing dogs before rescuing was cool! haha I have worked at several veterinary clinics as well. 

I have personally handled thousands of dogs and cats in my long dog career, as well as owned 100's myself over the years. 

That's about it for me, how about you? Leave me comment below and tell us about your journey with dogs. 

Training my dog to find a person

At my pet spa

Welcome to the exciting world of Mantrailing and finding people with a dog!

Welcome to the exciting world of Mantrailing and finding people with a dog! 

Mantrailing is a K9 Search and Rescue specialty that is quickly becoming popular as a sport and recreation for all dogs to enjoy. 

Mantrailing dogs use the nose to scent discriminate one person from all other people to locate the one particular person.

A truly amazing fact about Mantrailing is how quickly most dogs’ take to this type of training and how quickly the dogs find people. Dogs love to use their nose to find people. The fun part of Mantrailing is that we follow the dog and allow the dog to lead the way! 

To Read how to Start Mantrailing, Step by Step..(click to the book's amazon page in all countries) 

You and your dog will be finding a person from the first day of training and beyond. 

The book is available worldwide and features dogs from Scotland and the USA . The link should change to your country, if not, email me to get a copy sent to you,,, contact@familydisasterdogs.com

Each training session uses a time tested and proven step by step method for solid reliable success on the trail. 

You will learn to read the dog and the dog will learn to tell you what they find. Both of you will have a great introduction to the exciting world of Mantrailing dogs.

Order Ebooks directly from me at my online book store, the author of Family Disaster Dogs book and Start Mantrailing book

Have fun with your dogs today!

A part of the book profits go to Response Rescue International to support their volunteer mission to find missing persons..

For much less than the cost of  one in-person class get the book and train to advance level ! 

What is Mantrailing ? Where Man-Trailing Gets Its Name

 What is Mantrailing?

Me and Washee Mantrailing

Mantrailing is not a new way to train dogs, this way of finding people with dogs has been used by bloodhound owners for hundreds of years. Mantrailing is using a dog’s natural ability to follow cold aged trails to find a specific person who is hidden or missing.  

This method of finding people with a dog is quickly becoming a fun way to exercise reactive and high energy pet dogs that need more to do. Similar to hide and seek with a dog, owners of all breeds of dogs are learning how exciting this type of dog work is to participate in for fun and sport. 

Mantrailing is best known as a type of K9 Search and Rescue specialty in which the dog discriminates one person’s scent from all other person’s scent to locate the one particular person. Mantrailing is used by search and rescue dog teams or police to find missing persons and criminals. A few prisons today continue to use this type of trained dog and long ago plantations used mantrailing hounds to hunt down runaways.

Me and Washee Mantrailing

We found him.. look at my dog smile when she finds the boy! 

Dogs really love to find people!

Where Mantrailing got its Name

“Mantrailing” gets its name from bloodhounds. Many people believe the breed was named bloodhound because the dogs track blood trails which is not true. 

The dogs do not follow the person’s blood trail. 

The dogs follow the scent particles left by a person, sometimes many days, weeks and years later. 

The breed is named a bloodhound because this is the first dog breed to have a written recorded pedigree of its bloodline hundreds of years ago. They are the first “pure blood-ed -hound” or bloodhound. 

Bloodhound handlers long ago gave this type of scent work the name “Mantrailing” because the bloodhound is the trailing dog that hunts people.

My bloodhounds taught me how to Mantrail and now all dog breeds are learning how to do what bloodhounds do naturally. 

Family Disaster Dogs use Mantrailing to find missing and trapped family members after disasters. Any dog can learn to help its family in some way with the Family Disaster Dogs book.

Anyone who wants to train a dog to find people for Sport and Work can learn step by step with my new book "Start Mantrailing" 

Their legacy lives on in my books and this site

Wrinkledpups Daisy Mayham 

Me and Rea Valley's Incredible Sue 

Blue Boy Homer

Wrinkledpups Sambo

Went to Work in CA and GA

Me and George he went to Texas

Pups went to SAR homes in several states, Canada and So. America

Learn here How-to Be Ready to Evacuate with Pets this Wildfire Season

Are you ready? 

It's wildfire season on the west coast! 

Lockdowns are lifting, hopefully for good, and people are getting out more and more since Covid19 put us all inside away from each other. As more people move about outdoors and the climate warms up wildfires become a reality. 

After last season's deadly fires in several states I want to remind everyone to be ready to evacuate with your pets! Stay safe and be careful out there.

Watch my cute disaster video about how your dog can be a Family Disaster Dog!

Email me (use the contact page ) to learn how your dog can get a free membership and certificate stating they are Family Disaster Dogs. Join dogs from around the world learning to help their families survive. It's free!

Check out the "Evacuate with Your Dog's Help Book" 

It's now on Audible too! 

Click here to go to the Family Disaster Dogs book page

Coming in 2021 a new Scent Dog Book, New Family Disaster Dog Site and more

 Coming in 2021

Welcome to the New Year 2021! 

With the start of the new year, I want to wish everyone the best in the coming months. 

I want to say Thank you for the support the last year, for the many visits, shares and comments to my articles and the Family Disaster Dogs blog, Facebook page and group. (look FB up)

Thank you for following me on Twitter at #UrDogCanRescueU   

It's come time to update this blog and make a few changes that will benefit you, me and dogs. 

copyright 2020

Here's what I'm working on for 2021 

A New Dog Training Book 

I hope to have this new dog training book available by spring 2021. As the book comes together I will share more news about what type of training. Be sure to sign up for newsletters in the pop-up window when you go to another post or first visit this post or join from the email box below this post. You can follow me on social media links below to get updates too!

A Whole New Family Disaster Dogs Website 

I've started to built a main FDD site several times over the years and the main reason I didn't is that this blog worked well. 

The page you are reading right now is a page of a blog that grew to look like a site. This way of getting information to everyone around the world has worked well for many years and grown to over 250 pages of articles I have wrote with a whole menu of pages. There are many daily visitors seeking more about search dog training and scent dogs.

In order to continue sharing a whole lot more information about dog training for disasters and missing persons plus make the info easy to find. I'm working on a new website that will include dog training courses, books, lessons, newsletters, a member's area, and more. I will making my books available directly from me, the author and dog trainer not only Amazon for those of you who would rather buy directly. I'm tired of the middle person web places making more than I do on my hard work. The books will stay on Amazon, Google and sites but also be available for download and purchase from my new site. All my courses will be available as direct download from me too. 

Once the virus is under control and life back to allowing me to have in-person events I will post updates for book signings, public speaking at community gatherings and dog training.

Feel free to contact me to talk dogs.

Stay safe and well out there!

 

Amber Higgins 

 

My Puppy Finds Santa 2020

 

The Story Behind the Family Disaster Dogs idea, books, blog and lessons

Interview With Author Amber Higgins on NFREADS.COM

Please introduce yourself and your books!

Hello,

I’m Amber Higgins, the author of three books that tell dog owners how to use the family dog to find missing loved ones and help during disasters. I’ve also self-published a short story called, “A Squirrel Planted an Acorn”.

I always was a writer and dog lover. My work was first published offline in the 1990’s in magazines and newspapers, including a weekly herbal health column that ran two years. I set writing aside for about fifteen years to volunteer with my bloodhounds and German shepherds I raised, trained and placed nationwide for search and rescue work. I’ve worked with pets since 1976 as a professional master groomer, dog trainer and pet business owner until recently semi-retiring to spend more time writing.

What is the story behind your book(s)?

When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, we were awakened at 3 am by tsunami sirens and evacuation phone calls on the Oregon coast where I was living writing other books. As I was watching the event unfold on television because we lived on a hill and were safe, I looked at my bloodhound Daisy who sat next to me and the idea for the Family Disaster Dog books dawned on me.

All of a sudden I thought of the many ways our dogs can help us! Family dogs can learn how to help their owners like search dogs do! Our own dogs can find us! They do this everyday when they want to play or go outside, our dogs are always wishing to follow us so why not ask them to find people they love who may be lost or trapped after an earthquake or tsunami ? Dogs can carry evacuation bags for young children, seniors and disabled family members who cannot carry the weight themselves!

That night, I began writing the “Family Disaster Dogs” book and lessons tailored to fit any dog’s household and family. Every dog can do something ! One simple skill may save a life. I knew that writing a book and publishing takes time so I started a blog to reach dog owners as I wrote the book. Right away, people online loved the idea!

Today, there are over two hundred Family Disaster Dogs articles online and the site has daily visitors from all over the world. The original Family Disaster Dogs book was published in 2015 by a publisher who went out of business 2016. I added 50 more pages of lessons and self-published the second edition in 2017 along with a small but helpful book called Evacuate with Your Dog’s Help-Survival Bag List.

My children’s book with illustrations by UK dog cartoonist, Scotty King, was recently released by Waldorf Publishing (2019).

What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?

I was surprised that dogs and owners as far away as Scotland and Australia were learning from what I posted on the blog! This encouraged me to keep the lesson ideas flowing, they were learning valuable skills with their dogs and what to do in emergencies to help themselves and communities. The best thing was that people wanted to know more. The worst experience was my first publisher going out of business a year after publishing the book.

What are your plans for future books?

I have two more children’s books in this genre planned and three other children books in draft I wrote years ago, along with a novel almost completed.

Tell us some quirky facts about yourself

I once lived on a mountain top 4 miles to the nearest electric pole and wrote by the flame of an oil lantern. I wrote my young daughter children books for Christmas on an old royal typewriter under the glow of the oil lamp. One day I will self-publish those books I have carried around in draft for thirty years.

Amazon author page is  https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Higgins/

Twitter is @URdogCanRescueU

Facebook author page is  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberHiggins/

Facebook Family Disaster Dogs page is  https://www.facebook.com/familydisasterdogs/

Website https://www.familydisasterdogs.com

Books

Evacuate with Your Dog's Help

My Puppy Can Find Me Publisher Page

https://www.waldorfpublishing.com/collections/2019/products/my-puppy-can-find-me

Tracking and Scent Discrimination

Buy or Read for Free on Kindle the Family Disaster Dogs Books click to my Author Page

Tracking and Scent Discrimination

This article explains how your family dog can tell the difference between you and another person or object. This information applies to Family Disaster Dogs, Tracking Dogs and Trailing Dogs as well as any dog who is using its nose to find an object, person or pet.

Scent discrimination can be a complicated and complex subject.

When I was first learning Bloodhound handling and training with my dog Sue, our SAR dog mentor and instructor, Lt. Ezra Roberts explained the basics of scent discrimination to me in what I continue to believe is the easiest way possible.

Me and Sue

I smile in remembrance of Ezra as I write this..I could not of asked for a better mentor.

He said, " When a Bloodhound smells a chocolate cake they smell every ingredient of the cake. The flour, sugar, eggs and coco while other dogs smell only the chocolate cake. "

This is the difference between a dog trained to scent discriminate. They smell one scent out of many many scents.

Dogs that are not trained to scent discriminate will search for only one scent, such as, live human scent but not each individual person within that human scent. They will find any human scent and all human scent in a certain search area by air scenting, tracking and  grid working. They will find every person or object's scent they are trained to find, such as bombs, drugs, human live and remains. They are trained using only one scent article or smell.

Other dogs are trained to find many different scents or a scent they are given by the handler. These dogs are scent discriminating when they find a drug or object the handler asked them to find.

Service dogs who are trained to get the newspaper, slippers and dropped items of their owners are scent and sight discriminating. They know your slippers from another person's slippers.

Bloodhounds are different in that they process the ability to scent discriminate naturally. When a Bloodhound is given a scent article they start looking for that scent without much training at all. The handler gets most of the training and not the dog.

We do not train Bloodhounds they train us. Family dogs of all ages act naturally like the Bloodhounds when they stay close to their owners, follow the owner around the house or bond with a special family member.

These dogs are choosing to discriminate. All dogs can discriminate and they do naturally.

It is up to us humans to take advantage of this natural ability in the dog and teach our dogs what we wish them to find or who.

Cert. Mantrailer " Rea Valley's Incredible Sue" 1996-2008 

Sue's pups went to work as Search Dogs too
14 states in the USA!
Canada and So. America too

Rea Valley's Incredible Sue is featured in this book !